


Sweet Creature

by catwrites



Series: Sweet Creature [1]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Scent Marking, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-17 01:55:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11265540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catwrites/pseuds/catwrites
Summary: There are a lot of different myths and legends surrounding werewolves. Their origin, how to become one, their mortality, their connections to the devil. There are always lessons to be learned from a legend, from a story.This? This is Chuck’s.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a companion pieces to It Will Come Back. Basically that story, from Chuck's point of view, with a little background to how he became a wolf, and a little extra time with Yancy for kicks. 
> 
> Title unapologetically from Harry Styles's song "Sweet Creature".
> 
> Not beta read, all mistakes are my own. Disclaimer, my Russian is very, very limited, so if anything with that looks wrong please let me know.
> 
> I don't own anything!

There are a lot of different myths and legends surrounding werewolves. Their origin, how to become one, their mortality, their connections to the devil. There are always lessons to be learned from a legend, from a story.

This? This is Chuck’s.

It starts, as most bad things do, because he is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He’s home from college for the summer, in the little middle of nowhere town his dad had moved them to once he left the service. Chuck isn’t entirely sure why his father picked this nothing town in the States. There’s not a lot to do in a small town like this. It’s a universally accepted truth of small towns, and Chuck is going out of his skull with the boredom of it all.

There’s a night club two counties over. It attracts an odd assortment of people, but everyone in town knows that’s where to go when you want to have a good time. So Chuck goes. 

He has a fake ID burning a hole in his pocket, and enough rebellious desire that he ignores his father’s warning about the bad things that can happen when one stays out too late. 

At the time though, he just scoffs. He’s been living on his own several states over at his university just fine, thank you very much. So he goes to the club. 

The bartender looks his ID. “Kid, I know your daddy. He’d skin me if I even thought to serve you. I won’t tell him about your fake, but I won’t give you anything stronger than soda.”

Chuck scowls, though he shouldn’t be surprised. Another accepted fact about small towns: everyone knows everyone. “And if I can find someone to buy me a drink?” 

The bartender winks at him. “That’s between you and whoever you set your sights on.”

So Chuck sets his sights. Chuck can be charming when he wants to be, and he’s not hard on the eyes. 

It’s easy as anything, getting the loner in the back corner to buy his rounds. Chuck, looking back, should have noticed something was off about him, but Chuck was on a quest for free alcohol and he had found a source. Chuck pushes away the uneasy feeling in his gut, and pulls out the dimples. 

The guy, who Chuck completely forgets the name of three words into their conversation, offers to walk him out at last call. Chuck is drunk. There’s no way around it, and he doesn’t think anything of the offer. 

If Chuck was more like his father, or maybe sober, he’d remember the articles his dad kept reading off to him about the college kids getting murdered and dumped in the woods in small towns nearby. As it is, he isn’t thinking about much more than if he should put his left foot forward first or his right.

Chuck is fit. He’s no slouch in the gym, and his dad had been adamant about him learning self-defense when he was younger. But he’s drunk. He’s drunk and he’s no match for this dude who blindsides him in the side of the head.

He doesn’t, of course, remember anything after the blow to the temple.

\----

He wakes up in the woods, unable to breathe.

He can hear someone muttering nearby, and then there’s a huge man leaning over him. This is not the same guy from the club.

“ _Shchenok_ , you must eat this, yes?” The large man holds a cluster of tiny yellow flowers out in front of his face.

Chuck can’t speak. He thinks he’s bleeding.

“You are hurt. I can save, but only if do as I say. Eat.”

Chuck figures that when a Russian behemoth tells you to do something, you sure as shit do it.

Besides, what more could it hurt him? He’s dying. He knows that.

He does as told, barely managing the strength to chew. When he swallows, the taste of the flowers coating the inside of his mouth, the big man nods to him in approval.

“You will pass out now.”

He does that too.

\----

He wakes up in a hotel room. 

The big man is gone, and in his place is a violently blonde woman. She smiles at him widely.

“Glad you are awake, _shchenok_! Aleksis was very worried. Say he maybe too late, but I assured him you would wake.”

He sits up slowly. “What happened? Who are you?”

Sasha, as he learns her name, explains to him that Aleksis had been on a run in the woods when he stumbled across what would have been Chuck’s murder had he been any later. Aleksis killed the man from the club.

“He killed that guy?”

Sasha shrugs, unconcerned. “Is our job, yes? These are not our woods, but that does not mean we stop serving our purpose.”

That doesn’t quite make sense to Chuck, but she continues her story. After Aleksis killed the man, he made Chuck eat the flowers.

“What’s so great about some nasty little flowers?”

Sasha laughs. “ _Shchenok_ , those flowers saved your life! We picked them ourselves in the forest of the Balkans.” 

The way she says it, he knows that is supposed to mean something to him, but it doesn’t.

“So fancy Balkan flowers saved my life.”

She turns serious for a moment. “Aleksis had little choice, you must understand. You would have died otherwise. Aleksis would not turn anyone unwillingly in any other circumstance.” 

“Turn me into what?”

So Sasha explains lycanthropus flowers, and gives him a nice demonstration when he doesn’t believe her. Meaning, he nearly falls off the bed is shock when she turns herself into a large, nearly white, wolf.

“How do I do that?” Chuck asks skeptically. 

Sasha shrugs. “Must think of wolf, pull yourself into right shape.”

Chuck thinks of a wolf, scrunching his nose in concentration. Nothing happens.

“Do not worry, _shchenok_ , it takes practice. Aleksis is better at explaining. More patient.”

Aleksis and Sasha are apparently in town for a short period of time to talk to the lumber mill and negotiate a contract. 

“We make furniture back home. Is good work,” Sasha explains with a grin. “As soon as contract is negotiated, and you are settled, we will go back home.”

“Why this lumber mill?” 

Sasha shrugs. “They have good wood, and Aleksis said he felt like he needed to be here. Wolves, we are guardians, yes? We protect those who need protecting. These woods will be yours, once we leave.”

Chuck feels like that’s a lot of pressure for someone who hasn’t even turned twenty yet, but he doesn’t comment.

“Aleksis will be back soon to explain better. He must take care of the body.”

Chuck doesn’t have a comment to follow that either. He glances at the clock on the nightstand. 

It’s just before four in the morning. His dad is going to kill him for sure.

While they wait for Aleksis, Sasha asks him about what he does, what he’s going to school for, what he likes to do. 

She seemingly takes genuine interest in his life considering they’ve never met and her Aleksis just killed someone for him.

Aleksis comes into the room, looking grim, as Chuck is complaining about his engineering professor. The second he looks at Chuck, his face lights up. He sweeps a bewildered Chuck up in a tight hug.

“ _Shchenok_! You are alright, yes?”

“I think so. I feel fine.”

Aleksis smiles brightly. 

“Good! Very good!”

As Sasha promised, Aleksis explains in more detail. 

Wolves are guardians. A wolf is no more obligated to help than any other bystander. Chuck’s senses will develop with time and practice. Aleksis will teach him everything he can before they head back home to Russia. 

“When do you leave?” Chuck asks, as Aleksis digs around in his suitcase for something Chuck can wear home that isn’t covered in blood.

“Two weeks.”

Aleksis looks at his face, and smiles gently. “It will be okay, _shchenok_. Nothing has to change for you unless you want.”

Chuck isn’t sure he believes Aleksis, but he nods anyway.

“I will teach you only if you want to learn.”

Chuck shrugs uncomfortably. “I guess I’d rather know than not.

Aleksis beams.

“I will drive you home, yes?”

Chuck has no other way to get home, so he climbs into the rental car they have, and gives Aleksis directions.

Aleksis sings the whole way there.

Chuck sits quietly in the car as it idles in front of his house. 

“Thank you.”

Aleksis smiles. “Glad to help. See you tomorrow, yes? I will make good wolf of you yet.”

His father is, predictably, furious when he walks in. 

Chuck nods along as he gets lectured, and shocks them both when he pulls his father into a hug.

“Sorry. It won’t happen again.”

\----

Aleksis is, as Sasha promised, an incredibly patient teacher. 

“Do you want to stop for today?” Aleksis asks kindly, sitting cross-legged on the floor across for Chuck.

Chuck snarls in frustration. “I can do this!”

“I know this. And once you do first time, you know forever. Be calm. Think of wolf. Think of dog, even. Of fur. How it feels when you pet, yes?”

Chuck takes a breath to calm himself. “Okay.”

“Now, rub arm, think of fur under hand.”

Chuck does, feeling foolish. 

“You are wolf, Chuck. You have to believe.”

“I bloody believe,” Chuck mutters. 

“Believe harder,” Aleksis admonishes gently.

Aleksis reaches out and taps the middle of Chuck’s forehead. “Something in here blocks change.”

Aleksis drops his hand down and touches the middle of Chuck’s chest. “In here, you know. Can feel. Have to listen.”

“Will it be this hard to change back?” Chuck wonders aloud in frustration.

Aleksis laughs, as does Sasha who has been reading over documents at the little table against the wall of their hotel room.

“No, _shchenok_. You are human first, wolf second. The human part is always close to surface. After first change, wolf will be too. You just have to dig, find it, and let it out.”

Chuck breathes out unhappily. “It’s not exactly easy.”

Sasha smiles. “Nothing worth it ever is.”

Funnily enough, he thinks it might be Sasha’s offhand comment that settles him. 

He closes his eyes and thinks of fur under his hand as he rubs the bare skin of his own arm. 

It happens quickly. One moment, he’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, the next, he’s flopping around on his side, four legs scrabbling across the gross hotel carpet to find purchase. 

Aleksis claps his hands delightedly.

“ _Otlichno srabotano, shchenok!_ ” 

Everything smells different, stronger, and Aleksis voice sounds louder, though Chuck had not imagined that possible. 

Chuck staggers upright and stumbles around the room, feeling uncoordinated, as he tries to find his balance.

“It is hard, at first,” Sasha admits as he trips over himself for the third time. “Aleksis, he is born this way. For me, it took three shifts before I could walk in straight line.”

Chuck leaves that lesson in high spirits.

\----

Two weeks seem to fly by. Chuck finally masters walking, and can even run on his wolf legs like any respectable wolf can. 

Aleksis and Sasha pull him into a hug, smashing him between them, as he says his final goodbye after his last lesson. 

“You could come with us, yes?” Aleksis offers hopefully.

Chuck shakes his head. “I can’t, mate. Got a whole life here. School, my old man.”

Aleksis nods before he shoves a piece of paper into Chuck’s hand. “Stay in touch, _shchenok_. This is not goodbye forever. Just for now.” 

Chuck watches their car drive away, feeling awkward. He looks at the email address scrawled across the paper before he carefully folds it and puts it in his pocket. 

\----

Everything falls apart three days after the Kaidonovskys leave.

It’s weird to be on his own after spending fourteen days straight with Aleksis and Sasha. To run through the woods alone. 

It’s late, and he’s making his way back home. He’s dirty, and there’s blood on his fur. He doesn’t know what type of creature he killed except for it smelled like bad-death-wrong and it was bad for the woods. He could feel that much. He wonders if Aleksis would know. He should email to ask. 

For once, he appreciates that his father never decided to fence in the backyard that backs straight up to the woods. He roots around at their property line before he hears the creaking of wood and freezes.

His father is standing on the back porch, a rifle on his shoulder. 

Chuck changes quickly when he realizes the gun is trained on him, ready to explain if it means he doesn’t get shot. Chuck isn’t thinking about the blood, and how it’s going to look. Not at first.

Herc falls over himself in surprise. Chuck would find it funny, except for the look of pure terror on his father’s face. 

Chuck bolts into the woods and doesn’t come back.

He’d forgotten, after spending those days with Sasha and Aleksis that it wasn’t normal. That he wasn’t normal anymore. He can’t force his father to acknowledge that, to deal with it and push aside that horrible fear.

He wanders. Learns the woods backwards and forwards. Doesn’t go back home, doesn’t go back to school. Months pass. A year. Two.

It’s easier, as a wolf. Things seem simpler. 

It doesn’t make him any less lonely, but he deals. 

He protects the woods because they’re his now, and it’s all he has left. 

He spends a lot of time lurking between the trees by his father’s house. He can keep his old man safe, and that will be enough. It has to be enough.

The blond man that lives in the secluded house in his woods is odd. Chuck finds himself inexplicably drawn there, even before the man starts casually leaving food out.

He spends a lot of time around that house, too.

\----

Chuck is normally more aware of his surroundings when he walks, but the clouds are rolling, dark and ominous, above his head. He’s looking up when he steps in the trap. 

He howls, feeling bone crunch under the pressure of the metal jaws. He could try and change back, free himself, but he doesn’t know how much damage might be done with the shifting of bones. He can heal, of course, but if he breaks it bad enough it’ll take time he probably doesn’t have.

He’s loud enough in his distress, apparently, to attract the attention of the blond man. 

Chuck freezes for a moment before he growls. He knows better than to be too trusting.

“Hey there. It’s okay, yeah? I just want to help,” the man says, inching forward despite Chuck’s steady growl.

Chuck shows all his teeth when the man kneels down, and snaps at the reaching hand. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone, but the vulnerable position he’s in make him reluctant to let anyone touch him or the trap keeping him in place.

“Hey, asshole, I’m trying to get you out of there,” the man says, clearly frustrated with Chuck.

Chuck pauses, surprised by the man’s apparent lack of fear. He watches warily as the man reaches again for the chain of the trap. He whines a little when the man touches the metal of it and jars the jaws clamped around his leg. He holds completely still, allowing the man to study the trap and then do what is required to make it spring open.

Chuck leaps free as soon as he’s able, and runs as fast as he can with his already healing leg slowing him down. He gives a quick glance back to the man, but the sound of thunder overhead sends him hurrying for the safety of his den.

The problem is that the rain is heavy, pouring down in thick sheets, and flooding mud and cold water into his den. He sits in his murky home, frustrated, until he decides he might be able to once again play on the kindness of the man in the secluded house.

He runs the entire way there, the rain doing one good thing in that it washes the mud out of his fur. When he gets to the house, it’s dark, but the car is in the drive. He slowly climbs the stairs, and sits on the porch. He waivers on indecision, before a crack of thunder spurs him into action.

He howls as loud as he can.

It takes a few tries, but eventually the door is pulled open by his man, looking bewildered and sleep rumpled. Chuck pushes in passed him and sits down politely in the entryway. He has manners. He won’t drip water all over someone’s house.

Except: “Well aren’t you just pathetic.”

His manners have limits. He stands up and shakes the water out of his fur, pleased when it splatters all over his host. He sits down again and stares.

The man sighs. “Just wait there, yeah?”

He vanishes down the hall, leaving Chuck alone. Chuck looks around, before his eyes land on the couch. Still smarting from the pathetic comment, he walks over and hops up onto the cushions. 

It’s been a long time since he sat on something so comfortable. He spreads out, resting his head on his paws.

Chuck watches the man clean up the water. Making a point to try and get as much hair on the couch as possible when he makes snide comments in Chuck’s direction. 

When the water is finally mopped up, the man stands up. “I’m going back to bed. Don’t tear up my furniture.” 

Chuck lifts his head up hopefully. He’s already comfortable, but an actual bed? He rolls off the couch and trots after the blond.

For such a well-muscled guy, he’s surprisingly easy to bump passed. Chuck observes the room, immediately ready to hop up on the bed.

“Oh no, I don’t this so.”

Chuck would be frowning if the muscles of his wolf face could do so. 

The man wilts under his stare. “At least let me dry you off first.”

Chuck sits down with a huff. He supposes he can do that much.

This bloke, who doesn’t seem to be scared of him at all, is gentle as he dries off Chuck’s fur. Carefully moving Chuck the way he needs, but never rough. Chuck watches the man’s face, lifting his paws when necessary. 

Chuck hops up onto the bed as soon as he’s released from the towel. He flops down on the pillow where it smells strongest.

“You’re a presumptuous little shit, aren’t you?”

Chuck ignores him. He settles into the mattress, relishing in the comfort of it. He can’t get used to this. He can’t get comfortable in this place, but it can’t hurt to just wait out the storm here. 

He creeps out of the room as the last of the clouds are dissipating. Chuck can feel the shift in the atmosphere. He explores the house a little until he finds an unopened letter.

Raleigh. 

Chuck keeps that name for himself, before heading for the door. Time for him to leave. He takes a simple joy from the way Raleigh curses at him when he howls him awake again.

Chuck tells himself as he leaves he won't come back. He can't get attached to anything or anyone. He just needs to focus on protecting his woods.

He's a weak, weak man and ends up back at Raleigh's that night.

Oh well.

Raleigh is just so calm and comforting, radiating fondness whenever Chuck does anything. Chuck wouldn't tell a soul that he does a lot of ridiculous things just to get Raleigh to laugh. Raleigh who will feed him and lets him sleep in the bed, but isn’t afraid to scold him for tracking mud through the house. Chuck makes sure he doesn't forget the job he has. He makes his rounds through the woods while Raleigh is in town. Both attending to their work and meeting up at the house for dinner. It’s domestic and before, back when his life was normal, he would have rankled at the idea.

Now, the semblance of normalcy is nice. Even if Raleigh doesn't know him as Chuck. 

Maybe one day.

Chuck does his best to ignore how much he likes Raleigh. Likes staying in his house and how their smells mingle in the bed. 

The wolf instincts in him warm pleasantly at it all. 

He ignores those too.

Raleigh pauses one morning as they make their way out the door and says, “You know, whatever you’re hiding from, you’re safe here. I’m hiding too.”

Chuck looks up at Raleigh and wonders what he could possibly be hiding from. He trots down the porch steps and walks out into the woods. The words linger in his head, and he finds himself spending the night watching over his father’s house instead of heading back to Raleigh’s after he finishes his rounds.

He wonders if his father misses him.

After that thought, he can’t bring himself to go back to Raleigh’s place the next evening either. 

As the next day dawns scarlet on the horizon, he wanders around in his woods. It’s late afternoon, and he’s drawn north into the trees. He’s learned that his instincts often draw him to the thing he needs to see. He wanders until he hears the crying.

Chuck heads towards the noise and finds a little girl sitting in the dirt.

The kid looks at him and instantly starts bawling harder, inching away in fear. Chuck whines, dropping down to his stomach and crawling forward, wagging his tail invitingly. The little kid looks at him warily, but isn’t sobbing as hard anymore. Chuck creeps closer, and the kid winds her tiny hands into Chuck’s fur and hides her face in his flank.

He lets her cry for a few minutes before he nudges her with his nose. He stands, nudging her again, hoping she’ll get the picture. Wiping snot onto her sleeve, she stands up on shaky legs. She keeps a hand on his back, and together they start walking. 

Chuck figures if they don’t come across a group looking for her, he can drop her off at the edge of town. 

It doesn’t take long before he can hear the distant sound of multiple people crashing through the trees, and then:

“Kathy!” 

The girl perks up, little fingers curling tighter into Chuck’s fur. He picks up his pace, making sure he’s still slow enough that she can keep up.

As they get closer, Kathy calls back.

“Daddy!” 

There’s a silence, the forest holding a collective breath in.

“Kathy?!”

Chuck gently shakes her hold loose, and backs up out of sight. Kathy looks at him curiously, before hurrying towards the sound of her father. Chuck carefully watches the reunion, and the sheriffs milling around now that the job is done. 

The man that must be Kathy’s father scoops her up and holds her tightly. The woods hum in pleasure as she waves at Chuck over her father’s shoulder when he turns back towards town with her held in his arms.

Chuck watches them go, and is hit with a feeling of loneliness stronger than he’s ever experienced. He doesn’t have anyone who would look for him when he’s lost. He doesn’t know why Raleigh is the first one that pops into his head. Perhaps, Raleigh could take him for what he is. He’s not afraid of the wolf, so there’s a chance he won’t be afraid of Chuck. 

He decides it’s worth the risk, in the end. He trusts Raleigh, and Raleigh feels safe in a way he doesn’t remember feeling before. He runs to Raleigh’s place after a quick stop in his old den for the shorts he hasn’t worn in two years. He can change with clothes on, but it’s more comfortable to go without.

He climbs up to the porch slowly. Before he can talk himself out of it, he changes and quickly yanks his shorts on. 

He howls, and Raleigh pulls the door open roughly not even a second later. 

Raleigh stares at him.

"Oi, are you going to let me in?" Chuck asks, feeling uncomfortable. 

His legs feel weak, muscle atrophied from lack of use in this form. 

Raleigh continues to stare.

"I thought you said I could hide here," Chuck mutters, as close as he'll get to telling Raleigh that he's the wolf that's been sleeping in his bed for the past few months.

Raleigh lets him in, and Chuck brushes against him as he goes by, heading for the couch.

Raleigh is quiet behind him for a while.

"Where have you been these past two nights?"

Chuck can hear through the feigned casualness of the question.

"Aw, mate, were you worried about me?"

He doesn't admit that he spent the days moping. 

"Okay, how about a name, then?"

Chuck stares at the ceiling. Raleigh spends a lot of time in town, but he doesn't seem to have anyone he hangs around. None of the smells on him are particularly strong to indicate a long exposure to one source. Plus, there are how many Chucks in the world. His father wouldn't know it was him if word somehow got to him.

"Chuck. Name's Chuck."

"Raleigh."

Chuck lets that name wash over him. It's nice to hear it, hear the odd pronunciation of it.

Aloud, he says, "Yeah. I read it off your mail the first night."

Raleigh doesn’t get upset with him for an invasion of privacy. Instead, he just says, “Well, dinner is going to be a little bit.”

Chuck nods agreeably. “Okay.”

“Oi, you think I could get a shower then? I haven’t had one in a long while.”

Chuck looks over at him as Raleigh glances at him in return. “Yeah, of course, Chuck. You know where the bathroom is. You can help yourself to whatever.” 

Chuck rolls off the couch and heads down the hall towards Raleigh’s room. 

“Thanks, mate, I owe ya.”

Chuck knows there’s another bathroom in the house, but he doesn’t even consider using it. He heads to the place that smells like the two of them.

He stands in the bathroom, and glances at himself in the mirror. He doesn’t recognize himself in the reflection. He looks away and turns his attention to figuring out the shower.

After a lot of trial and frustration, he gets the water turned on and to a pleasantly warm temperature. 

He takes his time washing his hair with Raleigh’s shampoo. He dries off and digs through Raleigh’s drawers and closet. Raleigh said he could help himself, after all. 

Raleigh stares at him as he comes down the hall.

“Thought you had drowned in there.”

Chuck tries not to be embarrassed. “It took me a while to figure out how to turn the bloody thing on.”

They stare at each other for a moment, and Chuck tries not to bristle under the scrutiny. It’s a lot easier to interact with others as a wolf. 

“Here,” Raleigh says eventually, setting a plate of spaghetti down at the table before he sits down with his own. Chuck sits down across from him hesitantly, eyeing the fork warily. He knows how to use a fork. This is fine. Two and a half years won’t make that much of a difference, right?

“What? We’ve done this hundreds of times. Don’t go shy on me now that you might finally talk back,” Raleigh says, unaware of Chuck’s internal monologue. 

Chuck picks up the fork and it feels awkward in his hand. “Look, it’s just been a minute since I had opposable thumbs, yeah?”

Raleigh stops with spaghetti hanging halfway to his mouth. 

“I ain’t making a big deal about it,” Chuck says defensively, staring down at his plate. 

He doesn’t want Raleigh’s pity. He just wants a friend. It seemed simple at the time, before the reality of the situation became apparent. He’s starting to regret the impulsivity of the sentiment. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” 

Chuck twirls pasta around his fork. He wouldn’t mind talking to Raleigh, he thinks, but not yet. 

“Not just yet, no. Give it some time, yeah?”

“Sure. I told you already, whatever you’re hiding from, you’re safe here. You’re welcome to stay.”

Chuck nods, focusing on his food. The silence that settles over them isn’t awkward, but the comfort in it is fragile. Chuck can feel that much. 

Raleigh washes the plates at the sink while Chuck settles onto the couch. Raleigh sits down next to him, and it’s familiar, watching tv together. Chuck sinks down into the cushions, and can feel his eyelids getting heavy. He didn’t sleep much the past two nights.

Raleigh notices soon enough, turning the TV off without warning. 

“Hey, I was watching that,” Chuck says, though he honestly couldn’t tell anyone a summary of the show if they asked. 

He follows Raleigh to the bedroom and faceplants into the mattress, getting comfortably rolled into the covers with a content sigh.

Chuck can tell that Raleigh is watching him even with his eyes closed. He squints at the other man.

“We’ve done this hundreds of times. Don’t go shy on me now,” Chuck says, throwing Raleigh’s previous mocking words back at him.

Raleigh rolls his eyes, but it has the desired effect in that he climbs into the other side of the bed.

“Hey, Raleigh?” 

“Yeah?”

“Thanks. For feeding me, and getting me out of that bloody trap. Just… for letting me stay.”

“Of course, Chuck. Thanks for keeping me company.”

Chuck wonders if maybe Raleigh is lonely the same way Chuck is. He doesn’t ask, instead he just says softly, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Chuck listens to Raleigh’s breathing even out before he turns over onto his side to stare at the side of the other man’s face. He falls asleep between one breath and the next.

\----

He wakes up the next morning with his face pressed into Raleigh’s shoulder blade. He can tell Raleigh is awake. 

“Time s’it?” he mumbles into Raleigh’s shirt, rubbing his cheek against the fabric.

“Early. Still got an hour before I need to get up and head for work.”

Raleigh squirms under him until Chuck lifts up enough to allow Raleigh the space to roll over onto his back. Chuck drops down across his chest, and when Raleigh doesn’t complain, he settles in tucked under Raleigh’s chin. 

“What do you there anyway?” Chuck wonders, toying with the bunched-up fabric under his fingers.

“Fix broken things in people’s houses.”

“You’re a handy man?” 

“It pays the bills.”

Chuck can’t argue against that logic. Chuck kind of dozes off again until Raleigh is rolling out from under him and disappearing into the bathroom. Chuck buries his face into the pillow Raleigh just vacated.

Chuck rolls out of bed when Raleigh wanders out, and he can hear the sound of pots and pans clattering around in the kitchen. Chuck sits at the island and watches him cook.

“What are you going to do today?” Raleigh asks, putting eggs onto two plates.

Chuck eagerly takes the one handed to him. “If it’s all right with you, mate, I was hoping I could just stay here.”

“Don’t tear up my furniture.”

Chuck laughs, grinning down at his eggs. Raleigh smiles at him when he sits down at the island with his own plate of eggs. 

They eat together in a comfortable silence, and when Raleigh finishes, he starts gathering up the pan and spatula he used.

“Oi, I’ll do the dishes, just leave them,” Chuck offers, waving Raleigh away from the empty plates.

Raleigh doesn’t argue. “Okay. I’ll pick up something for dinner on the way home. Anything you want me to get for you while I’m in town?”

“Mate, you’ve given me more than enough already. Don’t go out of your way or nothing for me,” Chuck says, watching the water level in the sink to make sure it doesn’t get too high.

“If you’re sure,” Raleigh says as he heads out the door.

After Raleigh is gone, and the dishes are done and put away, Chuck glances around the house. He’s been in Raleigh’s house multiple times, obviously, but it’s different to be in it on his own with his opposable thumbs. He gives a brief consideration to Raleigh’s willingness to trust a complete stranger that can turn into a large wolf alone in the house.

In the end, Chuck tidies things up just to keep himself busy. He gives a curious glance around the house, at Raleigh’s things, before he settles into his spot on the couch. He watches the TV for a bit, before the inaction of the day makes him drowsy and he spreads out on the floor in a patch of sunlight streaming in through the window. 

He’s still stretched out there when he hears Raleigh’s car pull up into the drive. He listens to the doors opening and closing.

“Hey. Need any help carrying stuff in?” he asks, trying to blink himself awake as Raleigh finally pushes into the house.

“Nah, I got it all.”

Chuck stands with a yawn, stretching his arms out above his head. He’s still slow with sleep that it takes him a second for the smell of other people on Raleigh’s skin and clothes to register. He frowns, crowding into Raleigh’s space as he goes into the kitchen and before he’s even had a chance to set the bags down. He presses his face into Raleigh’s neck unhappily.

“You always smell wrong when you come back,” Chuck complains, breathing open mouthed against Raleigh’s skin.

“Uh. Sorry?” 

Chuck steps back, still frowning, but the smell is a little better now. “Whatever.”

“I got you some stuff.” Raleigh puts the bags down on the counter, shoving one across the counter to Chuck. “You’ll have to try it on and tell me if it all fits.”

Chuck shifts through the clothes in it, eyebrows furrowed. “Oi, I told ya you didn’t need to get me anything, yeah?”

He’s oddly touched by the fact that Raleigh would spend money on him. Would bring him things to make his stay in the house more comfortable. He closes the bag up quickly before he gets too emotional about some stupid shirts.

“It’s not a big deal. We can go into town together over the weekend and you can pick out some stuff for yourself, even.”

Chuck freezes, thinking about what might happen if he goes into town. If his father sees him there. “Maybe that’s not the best idea, mate.”

Raleigh doesn’t press. “You don’t have to, but the offer stands.”

Chuck smiled at him. “Thanks.”

It’s hard, being in Raleigh’s house, wearing Raleigh’s clothes, when he wants more. He tries to distract himself with taking care of his woods, but Raleigh is just always there, smiling and warm. The wolf in him preens because Raleigh is strong. He provides food and shelter, and gives Chuck everything he could possibly want. 

Chuck is burrowed into Raleigh’s side, both of them stretched out on the couch, as they watch TV. Raleigh is talking about his day, and it seems like the most natural thing in the world to lean up and set his teeth against his jaw. 

Raleigh stops talking abruptly, and Chuck sits up quickly, feeling his face flush bright red.

“Sorry. Sorry, it’s a wolf thing. It’s hard to remember what instincts I should push down and which aren’t too weird for people after spending so long as one.”

Chuck can’t even look at Raleigh, staring resolutely at the TV.

“That makes sense. Hey, Chuck, it’s okay. Nothing’s wrong with that.”

Chuck can’t explain instincts like that, instincts to do that, mean a lot, but he lets Raleigh pull him back down into his side.

\----

Chuck gets comfortable. He gets complacent. 

He goes out one morning, checks up on his woods. Steers some hikers away from a cougar and her cubs, the usual stuff he takes care of, before heading back to what has become home for him. 

He sees the extra car in the drive and pauses uncertainly. Raleigh hadn’t mentioned he was expecting company. He contemplates whether or not he should make himself scarce before he heads up to the porch. 

He figures if Raleigh doesn’t want him there, he won’t open the door. 

He howls, perhaps putting more into it than he usually would to impress Raleigh’s guest. 

“What the fuck is that?” 

He waits impatiently as he hears Raleigh’s footsteps coming towards the door.

Chuck slinks in, eyeing the stranger at the table warily. He can tell, even without the added scent overlaying the place, that this must be Raleigh’s brother Yancy.

“Jesus Christ! That thing is huge,” Yancy exclaims, staring at Chuck.

Chuck tries not to let the pleasure of Yancy’s obvious reservations regarding him show. Raleigh doesn’t seem uncomfortable or uneasy with Yancy’s presence in the house, and Chuck has a feeling Raleigh won’t need any kind of protection from his brother. Regardless, it’s nice to think Yancy’s fear of him might head anything off before it can start.

“Yancy, don’t be such a baby. This is Chuck.”

“You not only fed it, but now you’ve named it too?!” Chuck tilts his head curiously. He didn’t realize Raleigh had talked about him to Yancy.

Raleigh huffs. “Stop being so dramatic.”

Chuck takes the long way around the table to take a seat next to Raleigh’s chair. He looks at Raleigh imploringly, whining hopefully until Raleigh gets the picture.

“Yeah, yeah, okay. Hold on.”

Chuck normally doesn’t like eating off the floor this way, now that Raleigh knows the truth, but he’ll have to make an exception with someone he’s not sure he can trust there.

Chuck can feel Yancy’s eyes on him as he eats, but he ignores it as Raleigh returns to his seat.

“So… Do I get to meet the other inhabitant of this house? The one who shares your bed?”

Chuck pauses as Raleigh chokes on his water in surprise.

“I told you it’s not like that.” 

When Chuck glances up at him, his face is flushed uncomfortably.

“Oh come off it,” Yancy says, leaning forward.

“I’m serious. I’m just helping a friend out.”

Yancy raises an eyebrow suggestively. “Helping out a friend, huh? You want it to be like that, though, don’t you?”

Chuck listens avidly, waiting for Raleigh to answer. Before Raleigh can actually say anything, Yancy practically crows in excitement.

“You do! Look at your face. Oh man, when do I get to meet this friend? You gotta let me vet them, little brother.” Yancy half stands so he can reach across and mess with Raleigh’s hair.

Chuck doesn’t mean to, but the growl slips out, low in his throat. The wolf in him can’t take that Yancy, a complete stranger to Chuck, is touching Raleigh. Yancy freezes uncertainly.

“It’s fine. He’s just…. territorial. Knock it off, Chuck.” Raleigh nudges into his side, and the growl dies in his throat. 

“Possessive bastard,” Yancy mutters, watching Chuck.

Chuck stares him down while Raleigh bustles around the kitchen putting things away. When they move into the living room to watch TV and relax, Chuck settles on the couch with his head in Raleigh’s lap so he can both keep an eye on Yancy and keep Raleigh close.

Yancy watches them from the armchair, a cautious distance away. “Doesn’t that make you nervous?” 

Chuck leans into Raleigh’s hand as he rubs over one of his ears. “What? Chuck? Nah. He’s harmless.” 

Chuck huffs, before leaning up to lick a slobbery stripe across Raleigh’s face, watching in satisfaction as Raleigh wrinkles his nose.

Yancy watches them with wide eyes before turning away. “You’re funeral when he decides you taste good one day.”

“I don’t think that’s how wolves work,” Raleigh says thoughtfully.

Chuck makes sure to yawn widely, showing off all his teeth, before rolling onto his back.

“You’re both crazy,” Yancy says, turning his attention to the TV.

“How long are you staying for?” Raleigh asks, running his hand along Chuck’s side in long, even strokes. 

“A week, if you can put up with me for that long.”

“It’s not me you have to worry about,” Raleigh says, and Chuck can hear the grin in his voice as Yancy’s eyes find Chuck’s.

They watch a few more episodes of whatever television show before Raleigh forces Chuck out of his lap and stands. “I’m headed for bed. The guest room is all yours. There are towels and extra blankets in the closet across the hall next to the bathroom.”

Yancy doesn’t pay them any mind as they leave, Chuck following behind Raleigh to the bedroom. When Raleigh turns his back to close the door, Chuck changes.

He crowds Raleigh into the door as soon as he turns back around. Raleigh huffs, but suffers through it as Chuck runs his nose along  
Raleigh’s neck. 

“I don’t like it when you smell like other people.”

“I don’t know how I could possibly smell like anything else when you’re constantly all over me”

Chuck steps back, still not thrilled with the result but the smell is more tolerable. “Trust me, you do.”

Chuck smirks after a moment. “So…. You’re interested in me, huh?”

Raleigh shrugs. “It doesn’t have to change anything, okay? We can continue on like we have been.” 

Chuck crowds back in and drags his nose along Raleigh’s cheek. “What if that was something I was interested in too, yeah?”

Raleigh shivers and his smell sharpens dramatically. “That would be… good, yeah.”

Chuck hums, biting gently at the corner of Raleigh’s jaw before nosing his way under Raleigh’s chin. Raleigh lets his head fall back onto the door with a thump. Chuck freezes, wondering if Raleigh knows the importance of that symbolism when it comes to wolves. He sets his teeth against Raleigh’s throat before licking over his Adam’s apple.

Chuck licks over his throat and the fragile skin there until something in him rumbles in satisfaction. He pulls away slowly.

“I’ve wanted you since the day you let me in your house in the rain.”

Raleigh’s the one that pushes in to kiss him, and Chuck whines as he leans in to it. He tangles his fingers into Raleigh’s hair and uses that hold to move them towards the bed. Chuck pauses to pull Raleigh’s shirt over his head before pushing him down onto the bed and climbing over him.

Chuck rubs his cheek over Raleigh’s stomach. “You come home smelling like other people and their houses. I hate it.”

“I promise I don’t do it on purpose.”

“That’s okay. I’ll just have to make sure my smell’s harder to cover up, yeah?”

Chuck leans down and slots their mouths together, reveling in the way Raleigh melts under him. 

“Take this off,” Raleigh says, pulling on the hem of Chuck’s shirt impatiently. 

Chuck yanks the shirt off and throws it carelessly across the room. Chuck lets Raleigh run his hands over Chuck’s bare side before leaning down to press an open-mouthed kiss to the hollow of Raleigh’s throat. He pauses for a second, listening to Raleigh’s heartbeat, before he sucks hard on the skin under his tongue. Raleigh arches up into it with a groan as Chuck sucks a bruise into his skin. 

“Jesus, okay,” Raleigh says, voice gruff. 

Chuck laughs, sitting back to look at the darkening bruise. “Now, even without scent people will know.”

Raleigh stills beneath him, and his scent spikes into something spicy and warm. “Yeah…. Maybe you should do a couple more, just in case.”

The wolf in him rumbles. "Yeah?" 

Raleigh nods, so Chuck goes about sucking marks in a slow progression down Raleigh’s chest. 

Chuck is putting the finishing touches on one when Raleigh flips them. Chuck holds himself still, though he can’t help the confused noise he makes. Raleigh smiles before stroking his fingers across Chuck’s throat. He shudders, before tipping his chin back and letting Raleigh nuzzle into his throat. Chuck would never let anyone else get near his throat like this. It means something that the wolf in him would let Raleigh, wants Raleigh to do that. 

Raleigh nips at his jaw. "My turn, right?" 

"You're turn.” Chuck never wants Raleigh to stop touching him. 

When Raleigh starts sucking a mark into the base of his throat, Chuck keens. He can’t stop the noise spilling out of his mouth, can’t keep still as Raleigh’s mouth works over his neck.

Raleigh pull back. "Well. There's no mistaking that for anything else."

Chuck pulls Raleigh down to kiss him with a groan.

Raleigh snakes his hand down between them and starts stroking them together. Chuck presses his face into Raleigh’s neck, panting against the sweat soaked skin.

It doesn’t take much for them to come, Raleigh’s hand steady through it all. Raleigh rolls over to settle on his back. Chuck rolls towards him, propping himself up on his elbows so he can rub the mess of their combined semen into Raleigh’s skin. Chuck looks at the mess with satisfaction as their scents mingle.

“That’s disgusting,” Raleigh says, looking at Chuck.

“Yeah, whatever,” he replies with a shrug, wiping his hand off on the leg of Raleigh’s pants. He stretches out across Raleigh’s chest, content.

“We should really wash up.”

Chuck nuzzles into the skin under Raleigh’s ear. “Leave it for now.”

Raleigh relents. “No complaining tomorrow morning.”

Chuck settles there quietly, mind wandering. He thinks back to Yancy, watching him warily in the kitchen. 

“Your brother is afraid of me.” Chuck plays with the hair at the nape of Raleigh’s neck.

“Maybe a little.”

Chuck considers that. He hasn’t really talked to Raleigh about what sent him into the woods. He figures he has to start somewhere, when it comes to talking about himself.

“I… I ran away from home when I was, shit, nineteen? Yeah, nineteen. Lived in the fucking woods like the wild animal I am. I wasn’t born like this, ya know? I was out late, where I shouldn’t have been, paid the price for it. But my dad. When he first saw me… He was terrified, mate. Just bloody bonkers with it. So I took off. I wasn’t gonna make my old man uncomfortable to be in his own house, uncomfortable to be around me.” 

Raleigh runs his fingers through Chuck’s hair, pulling him in closer.

“I forgot what it was like, for people to not be afraid of me. Until you.” 

“Don’t worry about Yancy. He’ll come around,” Raleigh assures him.

“Don’t mean to sound sappy, Ray, but you’re all I need.”

\----

He’s woken up in the morning by the sound of the door slamming open.

“Wake up, kid, I’ve…” Yancy trails off, his scent going bright with surprise. 

“Oi, shut up, yeah?” Chuck mutters, hiding his face under Raleigh’s chin.

“Holy shit,” Yancy says, voice too loud in the quiet.

Chuck rolls away so he can shove his face under his pillow with a groan. “Ray, would you please deal with that?”

“Yance, why don’t you go make some coffee or something? I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Oh sure thing, Ray. Bring your friend with you.”

Raleigh climbs out of bed as soon as the door shuts. Chuck peers out from under the pillow to watch him walk into the bathroom. He rolls out of bed himself, listening to the water run. 

Raleigh is already out of the shower and toweling himself off when Chuck walks in.

“This is going to be awful,” Raleigh warns.

Chuck tilts his head, considering. “You’re embarrassed.”

“Yeah, I’m embarrassed.” 

Chuck glances down at his feet. 

“Oh,” he says quietly, looking at the floor.

He sees Raleigh turn out of the corner of his eye.

“Chuck. I’m embarrassed because we’re about to go out there and my older brother is going to ask some really uncomfortable questions. Not because of you.”

“Oh,” Chuck repeats. He doesn’t want Raleigh to regret anything. He’s trying hard to be something Raleigh wants to keep around.

“Yeah, oh. Now get cleaned up so we can go out there and let him laugh at us.”

Chuck smiles at him carefully, before stepping into the shower as Raleigh heads out of the room.

Chuck washes quickly, but when he catches sight of the vivid hickey on his throat, he pauses, staring at it in the mirror. He touches it carefully in satisfaction, before he pulls on a pair of Raleigh’s sleep pants and heads out to the sound of Raleigh and Yancy talking in the kitchen. He doesn’t bother with a shirt.

Yancy looks at Chuck, before turning to stare at Raleigh. Chuck watches Raleigh’s face flush red, before he notices the second mug in Raleigh’s hand. He moves around Yancy carefully, so he can take the offered coffee. 

He looks at Raleigh’s face, but Raleigh doesn’t seem uneasy having Chuck in his space, so Chuck leans in and sets his teeth against the edge of Raleigh’s jaw with a grin. “Thanks.”

“Yes, hi, my name is Yancy. That is my little brother you are slobbering on,” Yancy interrupts. 

Chuck makes a decision. “Yeah, we met last night.”

“What?” Yancy turns to Raleigh in confusion.

Raleigh looks like he wants to rub his temples. “Yancy, this is Chuck.”

Chuck grins at Yancy before growling low in his throat.

Raleigh shoves into Chuck as Yancy takes a nervous step back. “Stop being a little shit.”

“So let me get this straight. You not only let the wolf into your house and fed it, now you’re fucking it.”

“Yancy! There’s been no fucking.”

Yancy gives a pointed look to Chuck’s throat.

Chuck shrugs, “There’s been no fucking yet.”

Raleigh groans in embarrassment, and Chuck smiles.

Yancy, despite being skittish around Chuck in his wolf skin, is easy to get along with. Chuck goes about his usual routine, taking care of his woods, and spending the evenings with Raleigh and Yancy. 

It’s nice, having people to spend time with.

On Monday, he comes home to hear Yancy and Raleigh arguing. He pauses on the porch, not wanting to interrupt. He waits, until Yancy starts talking about him. 

Chuck opens the door just in time for Raleigh to say in agitation, “You think I’m not scared of him? You think I don’t know that he’s the only thing in these woods that could hurt me?”

Chuck freezes, unintentionally making a wounded noise. Raleigh turns around to face him.

He hears Raleigh call his name, but he’s already down the porch steps and out into the woods. He runs. 

He runs because he should have run after the first day. He shouldn’t have ever been there. He knows better. He should have known Raleigh was afraid of him. Afraid to kick him out because he didn’t want Chuck to hurt him. 

He heads back to his den in the trees. He hasn’t been here in so long that it doesn’t even really smell like him anymore. He stands at the mouth of it, before he slinks into it and curls up in the dirt.

The woods feel sad around him. He doesn’t move all evening. He didn’t realize loving something could hurt this much.

He can hear someone getting closer eventually, and he smells Yancy before he hears his voice.

“Chuck!”

Chuck growls as loud as he can, hoping Yancy will just leave him alone. Instead of scaring him away, Yancy’s footsteps come closer.

“Chuck, would you please come out? Raleigh really wants to talk to you. He didn’t mean what he said the way you think he did, yeah?”

Chuck continues to growl. He doesn’t want to think about Raleigh. Doesn’t want to hurt more than necessary. 

Yancy’s footsteps retreat, but Chuck can still smell him.

He hears Yancy settle down somewhere nearby. "Uh, Rals? I think I've found your boy."

Chuck growls listening to Raleigh's voice through some kind of speaker. "Hold on, okay? I’m coming. Don’t let him leave."

Yancy sounds skeptical as he answers, “Yeah, I’ll do my best.”

Chuck considers running, but he doesn't know how Yancy would attempt to stop him. He doesn't want to hurt him accidentally trying to get away. And some desperate part of him wants Raleigh to come make it better. Wants Raleigh to fix everything like he has been since he freed Chuck's leg from that trap.

Chuck curls into himself when he hears Raleigh approaching, whining quietly into his tail unintentionally. 

When Raleigh starts moving towards his den, he pushes down the melancholy enough to growl.

“Chuck?”

Chuck growls as loud as he can.

“Chuck, come on. Chuck I’m so sorry. You heard the wrong part of that. I’m not afraid of you. I promise. I never have been.”

He doesn’t stop growling quietly as Raleigh settles down at the mouth of his den.

“I’m afraid of you because you’re the only thing in this place that I care about, okay? That’s what I’m afraid of. I put the things I care about in danger. I’m afraid of you because I could hurt you. You could hurt me, too, but I don’t think you’d do it on purpose. And I know you wouldn’t physically hurt me, yeah?” 

Chuck growls unhappily listening to him.

“I’m not afraid of you, and I’m not leaving until you come out here and talk to me.”

Chuck hears the sound of Yancy leaving at some point. He still doesn’t come out.

The sky goes dark, and Raleigh is still sitting there quietly. Chuck can’t help but worry with Raleigh out in the woods this late. The atmosphere in the woods is slightly hostile tonight. Chuck thinks it must have something to do with Chuck himself. He distantly remembers Aleksis talking about how the woods respond to the guardian it accepts.

Chuck eventually crawls out and into Raleigh’s lap because he can’t stand the smell of his sorrow. Raleigh’s scent sparks bright with relief, and he tangles his fingers tightly into Chuck’s fur.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I hurt you, even unintentionally. That’s the shit I’m afraid of, okay?”

Chuck whines uncertainly.

“When I was your age, I nearly got my brother killed. We were both firefighters in our hometown. Our chief, Stacker, he told us that the building was unstable and that we weren’t to enter it. I did anyway, because I could hear someone in there, and I couldn’t just leave whoever it was. Well, the building started coming down and Yancy had to come in after me. The building came down around us. No one was badly hurt, just a couple broken ribs and some bad bruising, but I retired after that. I moved out here to hide from my problems. I just felt so guilty, you know? I almost got him killed. It was one thing for me, going in there on my own, but Yancy? I couldn’t take that.”

Chuck licks Raleigh’s face as he strokes carefully over Chuck’s fur.

“Yeah. Yancy retired after that as well. Said if I wasn’t going to stay, he was going to give it up too. That was his fucking dream job, Chuck. He loved it, and he quit because of me.”

“I don’t like hurting the people I care about. So that’s why I tried to stay away from everyone. Then there was you.”

Raleigh smiles. “You just shoved your way into my life. This soggy pile of bone and fur, and I figured a pet was safe enough, right? And then, obviously, you were more than that. This kid hiding from the same shit I was hiding from.”

Chuck huffs a heavy breath out. 

“You know Yancy talked to your dad?” 

Chuck feels his muscles tense up at them mention of his father. “Hansen, right? Yeah, he wanted us to pass along a message when we found you. That he was sorry. That he’d like to talk to you about what happened. He misses you.”

Chuck whines, changing back and twining his arms around Raleigh’s neck to steady himself in Raleigh’s lap.

“You talked to my dad?”

“Yancy did. After you ran off, we looked all over for you. Yancy went into town to ask after any wolf sightings. Your dad was apparently pretty interested in a missing wolf as well.”

“I just don’t want him to look at me the way he did that night, yeah? I can’t handle that again.”

“How about this? You come home, and we can eat dinner, and Yancy will apologize for the shit he said, too, and then you can sleep on it. Whatever you decide to do, I’m with you, okay?”

It sounds too good to be true to Chuck.

“I can come back home, right? After I talk to him? I can come back to you?” Chuck asks uncertainly, watching Raleigh’s face intently.

Raleigh laughs slightly. “Of course you can. Chuck, I love you. You can stay in my house as long as you want.”

Chuck nods and bits Raleigh’s jaw hard to show his appreciation. 

They walk back to the house together, Raleigh pressed close into his side like he’s worried Chuck will take off again.

Yancy meets them at the door. “I was worried I was going to have to drag you both back myself.”

Yancy pulls Chuck into a hug. “Glad you’re back, mutt. I’m sorry for what you overheard earlier. I was just worried about Raleigh being out here all on his own.”

Chuck shakes his head against Yancy’s shoulder. “I would never let anything happen to him. Nothing will happen to him in these woods.”

“I know that.”

Chuck steps away and looks at Yancy uncertainly. “Raleigh says you talked to my dad.”

Yancy nods. “I did. He hangs out in the pub every evening apparently. When I went in snooping after wolf sightings, he stopped me. Said he’d been looking for a wolf for a long time, and if I had any information he’d been glad to have it. Told me he wanted to find you and apologize, explain himself a little.”

“And he hangs out in the pub every evening?”

Yancy shrugs. “That’s what he said.”

“So we could go there tomorrow evening and he’d be there?”

Yancy nods. “I think so. Did you want to go?”

Chuck doesn’t know. Raleigh laces their fingers together.

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

\----

Chuck doesn’t sleep at all that night. Instead, he just presses into Raleigh’s side as close as he can get. His heart won’t stop pounding against his ribs. 

He’s afraid.

Yancy promised his dad wanted to see him, but what if he was wrong?

Chuck doesn’t want to get his hopes up. Raleigh said, no matter what, Chuck is always welcome here, in this house. 

Raleigh stirs, turning onto his side and pulling Chuck in. “I can hear you thinking. It’ll be okay, you know.”

“How can you be so sure?” Chuck whispers.

“Because no matter what happens, you have me. I promise you have me. For as long as you want.”

“You’ll go with me, right? You and Yancy.”

“Of course, we will, Chuck. If you want us there, we’ll be there.”

Chuck tucks himself under Raleigh’s chin and holds on.

Chuck feels like he’s going crazy, so he rolls out of bed early in the morning, well before Raleigh has to be up for work.

“Don’t hide away, okay?” Raleigh mumbles into his pillow as he rolls over so he can catch Chuck’s wrist. 

“I won’t. I just need to go for a run. Have a good day at work.” Chuck leans in and presses a kiss to Raleigh’s temple. 

Chuck keeps himself busy, roaming the woods, as the sun tracks its way across the sky. 

Raleigh and Yancy are waiting when he gets back. Yancy claps him on the back. 

“Ready to go, kid?”

“No,” Chuck replies, but climbs into the passenger seat of Raleigh’s car anyway. 

The ride into town seems to take forever, and Chuck feels like he can’t sit still.

“You could have started with a phone call,” Raleigh says, watching him fidget as they idle in the parking lot of the pub.

Chuck whines nervously, before he leans across the console to bury his face in the crook of Raleigh’s neck and just breathes in the smell of him. 

He remembers Sasha saying nothing worth it is ever easy. He lets Raleigh’s scent settle him, before he climbs out of the car. He waits at the door for Yancy and Raleigh, lets them walk in ahead of him. 

“If you wanna leave at any point, mutt, you just say the word,” Yancy says quietly over his shoulder. Chuck nods.

He can see his dad sitting at the bar. With a deep breath, he pushes between Raleigh and Yancy. When his father turns and sees him, he stands up so fast the barstool he was sitting on falls over with a crash. 

“Chuck,” his father says hopefully, before pulling him into a tight hug. 

Chuck clings to him just as tightly.

“Jesus, kid, I kept hearing all these stories about a wolf in the woods. Helped hikers with a mountain lion, brought Kathy Sparks back to her family, but no one could actually find it. I knew it had to be you, but no matter how many times I trampled around those woods, it was like you were a ghost.”

“I thought you were afraid of me. You had that rifle, and then you looked terrified when I changed back to try and talk to you. I didn’t want you to be afraid of me.”

Herc pulls away. “I wasn’t afraid. I was startled. I thought maybe you were hurt. You were covered in blood, son. I didn’t know what was going on.”

“There was a thing in the woods. I don’t know what it was, but it was bad. I took care of it. That’s what I do. I protect the woods.”

His father smiles. “Of course you do. Headstrong, noble kid.”

Chuck shifts under the scrutiny, as his father’s gaze rakes over him. 

“What the fuck are you wearing, son?”

Chuck glances down at himself. He’d thrown on something that had smelled strongest of Raleigh, which happened to be an ugly knit sweater. 

“It’s cold out,” Chuck defends unconvincingly. 

Herc looks skeptical, before he turns towards Yancy. “Thank you.”

Yancy shrugs. “Don’t thank me. Raleigh’s to blame.”

Raleigh looks uncomfortable to have everyone’s attention on him. Chuck takes pity.

“Dad, this is Raleigh Becket.”

“I know Raleigh. Well, as well as anyone around here can know Raleigh, that is.”

“I’ve been living with him. He saved me from a bear trap several months back.”

“No shit? Well, guess I owe you and your brother both a drink.”

They move from the bar to one of the tables in the corner, and Chuck is unbelievably happy. He never imagined he’d get to see his dad again. Not with such a positive outcome. He settles into Raleigh’s side, and Raleigh grins down at him.

His father raises an eyebrow. “So, you and my son?”

Raleigh looks nervous, but he nods. “Yes, sir.”

Herc nods. “Take care of my boy, okay?” 

All in all, things go pretty smoothly. When they part ways at the end of the night, his father pulls him into another crushing hug.

“You better come see me, kid. All the time.”

“Course, dad.”

His father nods and lets him go. “Go on. Don’t keep your boy waiting.”

Yancy sticks his head between the seats on the way back to the house. “I think that went well!”

Chuck nods. “Thank you. For talking to him in the first place. I would never have figured all that out on my own.”

“What can I say? I’m a giver.”

Chuck snorts. “Whatever.”

“You’re welcome,” Yancy says more seriously as he leans back.

Chuck is so tired when they get back from the pub that he forces Raleigh to sit on the couch so he can stretch out and rest his head in Raleigh’s lap. They sit like this all the time, so Chuck doesn’t give it a second thought even as Yancy sets about lounging in the armchair that has been his go to spot since he got here. Raleigh doesn't seem to mind, if the way his fingers casually brush through Chuck's hair is any indication. 

Chuck drops off, worn out from the emotional stress of today and the day before, one arm tucked between Raleigh’s back and the couch, and the other curled over his thighs. Raleigh runs gentle fingers through his hair as he drifts. 

He shifts around a little to get more comfortable and Raleigh's scent goes from content to halfway aroused in a split second. Chuck pauses, all the drowsiness evaporating, as Raleigh tenses up slightly under him.

"He sure is out," Yancy says softly. 

"Yeah, I think today took it out of him," Raleigh replies quielty, fingers stalled in his hair. “He didn’t sleep at all last night.”

Chuck smirks as much as he dare. He can have some fun with this.

Raleigh is relaxing again, and Chuck rubs his cheek into Raleigh's lap. Raleigh squirms slightly, fingers tightening in Chuck’s hair before he forces them to uncurl. Chuck waits while Raleigh settles, then nuzzles into Raleigh’s crotch languidly. 

Chuck can feel Raleigh hardening up, letting out these shaky little breaths above him. Chuck turns his head in so he can breathe gently across the tenting fabric. Raleigh’s breath hitches when Chuck drags his nose over the head of Raleigh’s dick.

“Why are you so squirmy over…” Yancy trails off, and Chuck imagines his eyebrows rising high into his hair. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I can’t help it! He’s rubbing himself all over my dick, dude.”

“Then wake him up,” Yancy says, exasperated. 

“He was so tired though. He needs to sleep.”

“Jesus Christ you two are the worst. I’m going to bed. You figure it out. Quietly.”

Chuck listens to the sound of Yancy’s footsteps fading, and as soon as he hears the door shut, he turns and mouths along the shape of Raleigh’s cock through his pants.

“You little shit, I cannot believe you,” Raleigh groans, twining his fingers through Chuck’s hair and jerking his head up.

Chuck whines, completely taken aback by how much he likes having his hair pulled like that. 

Raleigh watches him through half-lidded eyes, pupils wide. “I hope you’re going to finish what you started.”

Chuck grins, testing Raleigh’s hold on him. “You’d have to let me go to find out.”

Raleigh keeps his hold on Chuck’s hair, but guides his head back down. Chuck rubs his cheek against Raleigh’s lap, before sucking on the fabric covering his dick. Raleigh hisses through his teeth, letting go of Chuck’s hair so he can pet over the top of his head gently.

Raleigh groans when Chuck mouths over the head of his dick, and Chuck stops. “I thought Yancy told you to be quiet.”

Raleigh bites his lip. 

Chuck starts to sit up, but Raleigh keeps him where he is. 

“Are you sure you won’t be too loud?”

“God, you’re such an asshole,” Raleigh says with a scowl. 

Chuck grins as he pulls down Raleigh’s pants enough to expose his cock. Chuck goes back to work.

Raleigh whines, leg spasming under Chuck’s fingers as he sucks a bruise onto the crease of his thigh. Chuck reaches up and covers Raleigh’s mouth with his hand to stifle the sound, and has to muffle his own noise against Raleigh’s skin when Raleigh sucks Chuck’s fingers into his mouth. Chuck returns his attention back to Raleigh’s cock, licking up the underside, before sucking hard on the head. 

Raleigh pants around Chuck’s fingers as Chuck takes the length of him down.

Raleigh moves his head away after a few minutes. “Chuck.”

Chuck continues bobbing his head. 

“Chuck!” Raleigh practically keens, and Chuck pulls off enough so he can swallow when Raleigh comes.

Raleigh blinks down at him owlishly, wiping Chuck’s chin off with his thumb. He looks from Chuck, to his own come on his finger, before they lock eyes and he sucks his thumb clean. Chuck’s head practically spins he sits up so fast, bashing his knee on the arm of the couch in his haste to straddle across Raleigh’s lap. 

He smashes their mouths together, grinding down against Raleigh. He rubs off on Raleigh’s thigh until he comes in his pants with a groan.

Raleigh pets Chuck’s side as he pants afterwards. 

“We should go to bed now,” Raleigh says eventually.

Chuck yawns in agreement, leading the way to the bedroom.

Yancy gives them the stink eye when they finally find their way into the kitchen in the morning. “I don’t know what part about quiet you didn’t understand, but there was definitely a miscommunication there.”

\----

Yancy spends the rest of his vacation lovingly mocking Raleigh and Chuck for anything he deems worthy, in the way older siblings do. Chuck’s initial reservations about Yancy have disappeared as it seems Yancy’s standoffishness in regards to Chuck’s wolf form have, if all the dog jokes are anything to go by.

Chuck starts scenting Yancy, mostly because it serves a practical purpose, but partially because he yelps in surprise every time Chuck does it and Chuck find it hilarious. Yancy belongs to Raleigh, and if Raleigh is Chuck’s, that means Yancy is Chuck’s by default.

“Why do you have to do that every time we come home?” Yancy complains as Chuck steps away from him to nuzzle into Raleigh’s neck.

“It’s a scent thing,” Raleigh says, tipping his head back. Chuck hums against the skin before nipping at the corner of Raleigh’s jaw and stepping away.

Yancy goes into the kitchen to get a drink. “It’s weird.”

“Yancy, don’t be rude.”

“It has to do with scents, yeah. The more you smell like me, the better.” 

Yancy scowls. “And why is that?”

“There are other things that live in these woods, yeah? Those creatures have every right to protect their territory, their homes. I help with that, right? These woods are mine to protect, and that means not just the people but the creatures as well. So, if you were to come across one of those benevolent creatures in the woods and you smell like me, they’ll know that a guardian has marked you, meaning you’re safe to them. They won’t hurt you to defend themselves or their territory. The meaner, bad things might think twice about messing with you, too. It’s two-fold.”

Raleigh nods thoughtfully.

“And there isn’t an easier way for you to do that than to mouth-breath against my throat?” Yancy asks. 

Chuck smirks at him. “Well, semen is a stronger, more persistent smell, but wolves are fairly monogamous so it might lose some of it’s meaning if I tried to mark both of you that way.”

Yancy chokes on the soda he just took a sip of, spitting it out all over the counter, as Raleigh blushes bright scarlet. Yancy stares at Chuck, then at Raleigh, before he shakes his head. 

“I don’t want to know anything else. Slobber on my neck all you want, thanks.”

“You’re such a menace,” Raleigh says to Chuck, still flushed with embarrassment. 

“But you love me,” Chuck says.

“I do,” Raleigh agrees. 

Chuck can’t stop the pleased smile that spreads across his face. 

Raleigh rolls his eyes but smiles softly, like he can’t help himself either.

\----

Yancy leaves on Sunday morning, pulling Raleigh into a hug, and then Chuck.

“You’re always welcome to come see me, you know. You and your pet. He can wear a vest and sit at your feet. Fly for free,” Yancy says, ruffling Raleigh’s hair.

Chuck rolls his eyes. “I’m going to let something in the woods eat you one day. Maybe a cougar, or a wendigo if there’s ever another one.”

Yancy grins. “No you won’t. Raleigh would be sad, and you hate that.”

Raleigh and Chuck stand side by side on the porch, watching his car vanish down the drive.

“We’ll go see him soon,” Chuck promises, because Raleigh smells like sorrow.

Raleigh grins at him. “Yeah, okay.”

\----

Chuck watches upside down as Raleigh gets ready in the bathroom from where he has his head hanging over the side of the mattress. 

"Can you drop me off at my dad's house on your way to work today?"

He hasn’t really seen his father since they reunited in the pub, but they’ve talked on the phone.

Raleigh doesn't answer for a minute. "If that's what you want."

Chuck rolls over to sit up. "Why are you saying it like that?"

"I'm not saying it like anything."

Chuck walks into the bathroom. Raleigh smells like sadness, the same way he did when Yancy left. "Don't do that. We already almost fucked this up because we weren't talking to each other. If you can't give me a ride, that's okay. I can get there on my own, but I won't be able to get all my stuff back."

"What stuff?" Raleigh asks tightly, lacing up his work boots.

"That's why I have to go? So can you take me or not?"

Raleigh jerks his laces into a final knot. "Of course I'll take you. You think I don't want the chance to say goodbye?"

Chuck stops up short. "Wait, what?"

Raleigh stands up. "I get it, okay. You want to be with your dad. I'm not going to force you to stay."

Chuck stares at him. "What the fuck are you on about? I've been waiting for you to ask me to stay! I've been hinting at it and you just never take the bait. You keep talking about how I’m welcome here as long as I want, but I want to know what you want! Yancy said some crazy thing about how you’d never ask me to stay because you don’t want me to feel trapped here."

Raleigh looks up from his boots. They stare at one another.

"You asked Yancy about this?" 

“I didn’t know what else to do. He said if I wanted to make it clear I wasn’t going anywhere, I’d have to do something about it myself. So, I need you to take me to my father’s house, and then come pick me up when you’re done with work, so I can bring my shit home. He told me you were worried that being a wolf meant I couldn’t stay here forever.”

“I don’t know how it works! You said the guy who turned you was Russian, right? Russian mythology says werewolves can’t stay in one place for too long. I don’t want you to give up a part of yourself for me.”

"You think very highly of yourself. It's not about you. These woods are mine, aren't they? So clearly, I need to stay in this house where I can be close to my woods." 

Raleigh stares at him before a small smile spreads across his face. “Of course. The woods, how could I forget.”

Chuck rolls his eyes. “You know I love you, right?”

Raleigh laughs. “I’m starting to figure that out, yeah.”

“Better get used to it, Ray. Haven’t you ever heard the sappy stuff about how wolves mate for life? You’re stuck with me now.”

Raleigh reaches out and pulls him in. “I think I can handle that.”

“So, what do you want, Raleigh?” Chuck asks, standing between Raleigh’s legs where he’s sitting on the edge of the tub.

Raleigh looks up at Chuck. “Stay?” 

“Thought you’d never ask, mate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
>  _Shchenok_ : pup  
>  _Otlichno srabotano_ : well done


	2. Epilogue

Raleigh startles when there's a knock on the door. Chuck lets himself in, so it can't be Chuck, but he wasn't expecting Herc or anyone else either. Despite having no expectations whatsoever the giant man and severe looking woman definitely aren't it.

"Hello," he says cautiously.

The big man beams and pulls him into a hug. "You are _shchenok’s_ _dusha_."

The woman tuts. "Aleksis, you must introduce yourself first."

It's at that point that Chuck comes barreling out of the woods at a full sprint, shifting between one step and another as he reaches the porch steps.

"Aleksis! Sasha!" 

Aleksis abandons Raleigh and meets Chuck at the top of the stairs. Raleigh watches, bewildered, as Chuck crashes into the waiting hug. The woman, Sasha, seems just as delighted to see Chuck and hugs him tight as soon as the big man reluctantly lets him go.

Raleigh watches the whole scene unfold, unwilling to interrupt but dying to asks questions.

Chuck turns to him and grins, reaching out and dragging him forward. 

"Raleigh, this is Aleksis and Sasha Kaidonovsky. Aleksis, Sasha, this is Raleigh Becket." 

"Is very good to meet you! You smell strong. Most ideal for partner, yes?"

"Uh..."

Aleksis turns to Chuck and frowns. "Almost three years, no messages, no calls. Sasha said, maybe busy with school, and I think yes, must be very busy. But then Newt tells us you are missing! Father very worried, not go to school, not go home. I want to come back as soon as Newt tell, but our woods have big mess. Politics and strange new creatures. We cannot leave. I knew you were alive, yes? Would have known if not. Then, recently Newt said you were home again! I tell Sasha we had to see. Now, here we are. And you have _dusha_ and woods are so strong!"

Chuck winces. "I had a bit if a walkabout in the woods for a few years. There was a bit of a misunderstanding between me and my old man, but it's been cleared up. Raleigh here has been a big help."

Chuck pulls Raleigh closer, nuzzling into Raleigh's throat before turning almost proudly towards Aleksis again.

Aleksis and Sasha are both smiling brightly. 

"Do you want to come in?" Chuck asks excitedly, already turning back towards the house. 

Raleigh follows mostly because he doesn't know what else to do.

Aleksis looks, impossibly, even bigger standing in Raleigh's small house, though he doesn’t seem to mind. 

Chuck takes Aleksis and Sasha on a tour of the woods, leaving Raleigh time to try and get the place ready for guest. He doesn’t know if they’re planning to stay, but Chuck seems keen on them being there so Raleigh wants the option available. 

Chuck is extra affectionate with the Kaidonovskys around, which is saying something because Chuck is always tactile with him. While the Kaidonovskys are there, Chuck is constantly leaning into his side, nuzzling into his neck, and nipping at his jawline. Aleksis and Sasha beam whenever they see Chuck doing this. Raleigh, though confused, can’t say he minds in the slightest. 

Sasha and Chuck have gone for a run, but Aleksis elected to stay behind. He’s doing something complicated in the kitchen, having offered to cook dinner for them all. Raleigh watches him curiously.

Aleksis smiles at Raleigh. "You know, I find Chuck because I could smell love from town. It's so strong! He loves you very much."

Raleigh shifts uncomfortably, but the idea warms him. "I love him, too. He's a pain in the ass sometimes, but I love him."

Aleksis laughs. "Sasha is much like this. Very big trouble, but I would be lost without her. She's my _dusha_."

"You keep using that word. What does it mean?"

Aleksis smiles fondly. "In English, is soul. It means she's mine. That I love her but not in puny human way. Wolf loves her. Wolf very picky! Must be strong, must be loyal, smart, kind. Is hard to please wolf. Wolf want someone who will help protect when they can. A guardian's woods are only as strong as the guardian and a _dusha_ makes wolf stronger so make woods stronger, too. You do this for _shchenok_. Is a very powerful thing to be _dusha_. If he ever lose control, you would be one of few, if not only, who could get him to change back."

Raleigh rolls that around in his mind. There's not a good response for that. 

Aleksis smiles. "Is a lot, I know, but you be okay. You've been okay this long, yes?"

Raleigh can't stop thinking about it though. Chuck is asleep in their bed, but Raleigh just isn't tired.

"Chuck?" 

Chuck mumbles something before rolling towards him. 

"Chuck?"

"Whatsit?'

"Aleksis said you love me."

"What the fuck, Rals. You woke me up for that? We've been over this. I love you. It's true. Go to sleep."

"But he said it's more than that. That your wolf loves me and it's not 'in puny human way'. He said he can smell it from town." 

Chuck rolls more until he's on top of Raleigh and can stare down at him in the dark. "Look, I don't know about all that. I just know that you feel safe, like you can protect me and what's mine, but also that you belong to me. You're mine to take care of like the woods are. I love you, and the wolf is part of me, so he must love you too. It's that simple for me, mate."

"Oh."

"Oh. Can we please go to sleep now?"

Raleigh pulls Chuck down so he can tuck himself under Raleigh's chin. "Yeah we can go to sleep now."

"Hey, if you need me to tell you every day, I will. I love you.”

Raleigh huffs. “You don’t have to do that.”

Chuck burrows further into Raleigh’s neck. “Too late. I’ve already given myself a quota to meet. I love you.”

Raleigh rolls his eyes but tucks his nose into Chuck’s hair with a content sigh.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks for reading! Comments welcomed. 
> 
> For those interested in the mythology:
> 
> Wawkalak: In Russian mythology, a wawkalak is a person who is cursed by the devil to turn into a wolf. The wolf wanders around, licking the hand of it’s loved ones, but can never stay in one place for long. 
> 
> Lycanthropous flowers: Legend originates in the Balkans, or alternatively in Austria/Hungary, where a very rare type of flower could be picked after sunset and worn on the clothes during the full moon would have the power to turn someone into a werewolf. 
> 
> English myth: someone who loved and trusted a werewolf could call the wolf by it’s name and it would revert back to human
> 
> Guardian spirits: There are several cultures that viewed wolves as guardian spirits 
> 
> I took these mythologies and combined them to my liking to create a werewolf I liked.


End file.
